It Ain't Easy Being a Stark
by WhySoSerious1992
Summary: Tony Stark was raised to be a war monger, and he was good at it. His company produced deadlier weapons than ever before, and he didn't seem to care who got caught in the crossfire. His daughter, however, was a different story.
1. Meet Erika Stark

This is the second draft of my Iron Man OC fic, this time with my OC's personality tweaked a bit; now she actually has one. My first mistake was seeing Tony as he is in The Avengers, not the first half of Iron Man. Pre-Iron Man Tony and Post-Iron Man Tony are two completely different people, and I should treat them as such.

This originally started when the Iron Man movie starts, but I thought it would be better to give my character a little background so it wasn't BAM! OC in Iron Man!

Without further ado, I give you my first attempt at Marvel fanfiction.

* * *

The Stark name was Legendary.

It began with Howard Stark, who worked alongside his father, Howard Stark Senior. Together, they founded Stark Industries. Howard funded various military projects, including the Manhattan Project, and his weapons systems were, at the time, the best in the world. Howard's legacy continued with his son Tony, who took over Stark Industries when Howard and his wife Maria perished in a plane crash.

Tony Stark was raised to be a war monger, and he was good at it. His company produced deadlier weapons than ever before, and he didn't seem to care who got caught in the crossfire.

His daughter, however, was a different story.

From the day Erika Maria Stark was old enough to talk, she opposed Stark Industries and what it stood for. She showed the same intellect as her father and grandfather, but from day one decided not to contribute to the Stark family business. Instead, she decided that there were better uses for her intelligence.

At an early age, Erika discovered that if she turned up the charm, people would almost always bend over backwards to make her happy. Her charms also meant that, for a while, she had Tony wrapped around her tiny little fingers.

Four year old Erika was sitting in her bed, listening for any sounds in the main house. After what felt like forever, she finally heard signs of life.

A high-pitched giggle made her leap out of bed and grab her teddy bear (to crank up the cuteness). Clad in footie pajamas and wielding her stuffed bear, Erika knew she was irresistible.

Tony was very please with himself. He'd had a charity gala to go to, and as usual, he'd managed to land the hottest chick there. Said hot chick was currently straddling him in his couch, loosening his tie. Tony ran his hands down her sides and was reaching around for the zipper on her dress when a small voice cut through his alcohol-fogged brain.

"Daddy?"

Tammy—or was it Kathy? Emily? Ashley? Maybe something with a J. Eh, let's just call her Hot Chick. Hot Chick's hands stilled and her head turned to look at the doorway.

A little girl with brown hair was standing there, clad in one-piece pajamas and holding a stuffed bear by one of its arms. "Daddy?" she called again in a small voice.

Shit.

"Hey, Kiddo," said Tony, easing Hot Chick off his lap. "Isn't it a little late for you to be up?"

Hot chick didn't look happy. "Tony, who's this?" she asked in an extremely high-pitched voice.

Gah, her voice was annoying.

Tony waved his right hand. "This," he gestured to the girl. "Is Erika. Erika, this is . . ."

"Lilly."

Tony snapped his fingers. "Right, Lilly. Erika, this is Lilly." He stood up and went to Erika, bending down and bracing his hands on his legs. "Lilly and I were kinda in the middle of something, so how bout you go back to bed?" He said, ruffling Erika's hair.

Erika pouted. "I had a bad dream," she said quietly, her bright green eyes staring up at him. "Daddy, will you please tuck me in?"

Tony stood up straight and ran a hand through his hair. He looked back at . . . . Damn, he forgot her name, again. Something with a T, he was sure of it. He held up an index finger and gestured to Erika.

Tasha? Tammy? Whoever she was, she looked extremely annoyed. She tapped her wrist in an "I'm timing you" manner then crossed her arms and leaned back into the couch.

Tony blew her a kiss, then reached down and scooped up his daughter, who wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and rested her chin on his shoulder.

He never saw Erika smirk and stick her tongue out at his date.

* * *

A/N:** So, there's part one. I'm having a hard time picking a name for this.**


	2. Strategies

**So, this is going to be a five part story of Erika's life pre-Iron Man.**

**I still don't have a name for this or its sequel *bangs head on desk***

**Maybe I should go to sleep . . .**

* * *

Erika couldn't stand it when Tony brought women home. They only liked him because of his money, anyway, and that was something she hated—Tony deserved better, and she did her best to stop anything before it started.

When she was old enough to go to school, Tony gladly sent her to the best schools money could buy. He enrolled her in as many after school activities as he could while still being humane.

These distractions only worked for a short amount of time, as Erika soon used this to her advantage. Tony had enrolled her in an art program, a karate class, and violin lessons (When asked, she'd picked art and violin—karate was Tony's idea), and Erika decided to use these to further drive away the women Tony brought home.

When she'd learned a few basic karate moves, she'd decided to try them out on a few of his dates. All of them had been shown the door after exclaiming, loudly, "Ow! Knock it off, you little brat!" (The word 'brat' hadn't been used, but Erika wasn't old enough to say the word they'd actually used).

When Tony told her to knock it off with the karate moves, she switched to practicing her violin when she knew Tony had someone over.

She got away with it a few times, until she convinced Tony to buy her an electric violin, which she then proceeded to hook up to the household's AI and have it played throughout the house.

"Ready, Jarvis?" ten year old Erika asked the AI.

"_As always, Miss Stark,"_ Jarvis responded in his dry British tone. While Tony had built him, he seemed to agree more with Erika on what was and wasn't in Tony's best interest.

Getting rid of as many bimbos as possible was _definitely_ in Tony's best interest.

Erika made sure that the violin was in tune and played a small, short note.

G, G sharp, A, A sharp, B, C, C sharp, D, D sharp, E, F, F sharp, G, then back down.

Now a few chords; C-G, D sharp-C, B flat-C.

"_All PA Systems are online, Miss Stark," _Jarvis informed her.

Erika grinned, and then began playing the piece they were currently learning in class, making sure that the wrong notes were especially loud. Erika tried not to correct herself—she wasn't really as bad as she sounded, but she wanted it to sound as bad as possible.

"_Miss Stark, My systems have been overridden and my PA System has been disabled. It would appear that Sir is displeased with your performance. His companion even said, and I quote, "What is that horrible noise, is there a dying animal in here," and then proceeded to explain that she now had an ear-splitting headache and did not wish to partake in any further activities."_

"Aw, poor baby," Erika sniggered.

"_Sir has also informed me that you are to be grounded for a week, no electronics and no friends. You are to go directly to and from school, and you are to inform your extracurricular activity instructors that you will not be attending for a week."_

That following week, Erika had to skip Art and violin (Tony still made her go to karate) and, like Tony had said, go directly to and from school.

It was worth it, though—she'd met the bimbo she'd chased out with her violin, and this one had been particularly nasty. She was worse that the others for one reason—Erika could tell she'd been planning on trying to get Tony to commit. Of course she never would have succeeded, but the fact that she'd wanted more than the others had set off alarm bells in Erika's head.

After the violin stunt, Erika decided to take a more subtle approach to dealing with these women—her artwork.

When Erika was little, she'd used the excuse of nightmares to drag Tony away from his conquests.

That didn't mean the dreams weren't real.

Her whole life, Erika had dreamed of monsters. Tony had taken her to a specialist, and they'd put Erika on medication to stop the dreams. Once she gained a few art skills, though, Erika decided to utilize these dreams to her advantage. She stopped taking her pills, and after a few days the dreams came back.

_Erika was standing on an island, watching as the water around her churned and twisted. She took several steps back as something huge reared out of the black waters. A giant serpent at least a hundred stories tall was watching her through poisonous green eyes. Its wet greenish gray scales shined from the water, and it bared rows upon rows of huge, gleaming teeth. Horrible hissing noises were coming out of its mouth and what scared Erika the most was that she could understand it._

_**Who dares summon Jormungandr, Ruler of these Oceans?** It hissed._

_Erika opened her mouth to speak but the words got stuck in her throat. She hadn't summoned anything—she **couldn't** summon anything._

_She was just a girl from Malibu._

'_This is a dream', she reminded herself. That was the weird part of all her dreams—she __**knew**__ she was dreaming._

_People always said if you knew it was a dream, you could control it._

'_Let's find out,' she thought, and focused on her violin set. Not the electric one, but the regular wooden one. The violin and her bow appeared in her hands a moment later._

'_Cool.'_

"_Do you like music?" Erika asked hesitantly, hoping that the snake would understand her._

_It said nothing, its gaze never wavering._

'_Actions speak louder than words,' she thought, and then began tuning her instrument. She did a warm up scale, and then she began playing. The tune she played was Bartok's Solo Violin Sonata. She hit quite a few sour notes, but hey, nobody's perfect. The song ended and she lowered her bow, watching for . . . something._

_The serpent's head came closer and Erika yelped, falling back and landing in the sand. The serpent's mouth opened and Erika could see every single tooth in its mouth._

"_M-my, w-what big t-teeth you have," she stammered._

_It snorted and reared back and a bright green glow enveloped the serpent._

Erika woke with a start, shaky and sweaty. It took her a moment to remember why she'd stopped taking her pills.

Right. Artwork. Scare them off.

* * *

**A/N:** So, out of all of Loki's children, Jormungand has always been my favorite—he's gonna pop up a lot.


	3. A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

**Fair warning—chapter lengths may vary. I split them where I thought it made the most sense, and some will be shorter than others.**

* * *

After that night, Erika made sure to sketch everything she saw in her dreams. Soon her walls were adorned with portraits of huge snakes, impossible horses, giant wolves, and skeletal women. She even did a few landscape sketches, though all of her chosen locations looked cold and barren.

"Hey, Dad?" Erika asked Tony one night, dragging a five by seven canvas beside her. "I know you're busy, but can I just get a real quick opinion on something?"

Tony's date for the evening huffed, and Tony looked between his daughter and his date before looking back towards his daughter. "Yeah, sure, just make it quick."

Erika turned the canvas around.

Tony's date screamed.

Erika's portrait was a close-up of a woman. Half of her was beautiful, with silky black hair and bright green eyes—well, one of her eyes was bright green. The other eye was so sunken into her face that it looked non-existent, and the half of her face that housed the sunken in eye looked dead. Her cheekbone stuck out, there were no lips, and her hair hung limp and dead on her scalp.

'What IS that?" Tony's date exclaimed, her nose wrinkled in a mixture of horror and disgust.

Tony blinked. "Um, wow. That's, uh . . . . detailed."

Erika beamed and leaned against the top of the canvas. "Thanks. So," she began. "I kinda ran out of room on my walls, and I was wondering . . . is it cool if I hang it up out here somewhere?"

Tony hesitated.

"Please?" Erika asked, wearing a hopeful smile.

Tony relented (as she knew he would).

By the time Erika was entering middle school, Tony's Malibu home was covered in her artwork. The only place that didn't have anything was Tony's room, and that changed when Erika sketched something he actually kinda liked. In his room, above his bed, was a nine by seven of a wolf, its legs and neck wrapped in chains and a sword sticking out of its throat.

"Can't you take that down?" his latest conquest said after several minutes of intense making out.

"What?" asked Tony, trying to think through the lust-induced fog that had entered his brain. He didn't want to, but Susie (Stacy? Something with an S) was saying something and he had to focus. He turned his head, realizing that Sarah (or Sandy) was looking at Erika's wolf sketch. "Why?"

"Because, it's creepy," said Sabrina (or was it Sadie?). "It's like . . . . like, it's watching me, or something."

Tony sighed. "Babe, it's just a sketch," he said lightly, trying to coax her back into his lap.

Susan (Santana, maybe?) crossed her arms and didn't budge.

Tony really, _really_ wanted to have sex (there had been too many instances where his dates had left lately, and he'd been ecstatic that Sasha (or Savanna. Scarlet, maybe?) hadn't been too put-off by Erika's artwork. Or her violin playing.), so, with a sigh, Tony got up, took the canvas down, turned it around, and leaned it against the wall.

"There," he said with a satisfied smirk, crawling back into bed and pulling Selena (Sheila?) back towards him. "Better?"

Shelly smiled seductively. "Much," she said, running long manicured nails down Tony's chest.

Later, when Tony was in his workshop and Sofia was still sleeping in his bed, he remembered that the wolf sketch needed to be put back up and decided to do it later.

He never did, and eventually he asked (told) Erika to take the artwork down, and to put them all in a different room (preferably where nobody goes).

After that, Erika started taking her medication again. The whole point of stopping was to gain inspiration, and now she didn't need (couldn't use) that inspiration anymore.

* * *

**A/N: I had way too much fun looking up different names starting with S. (Her name was Christine, by the way).**


	4. Not So Perfect Family

**Just one more chapter after this, then we can move on to the Iron Man movie! Yay!**

* * *

Once Erika entered High school, she'd all but given up on getting rid of the strange women that invaded her home.

She still wasn't happy about it, though.

"I'm not exactly happy with it, either," Tony's PA told her. "Not only do I have to make excuses for your father on a regular basis, I have to escort these women out of here if they refuse to leave."

Thanks to Erika and Pepper Pott's combined forces, however, most women didn't tend to stick around.

Pepper was actually the one who convinced Erika to focus less on Tony's women and more about what she wanted to do with her life. "You're good at so many things," Pepper had said. "And on top of that, you're smart—if you wanted, you could even skip a few grades, maybe go to college a little early?"

Erika shook her head. "I don't want to be treated different—I want to go through education at the same rate as everyone else. Do you know what they'd do to a fifteen year old in college? They'd eat me alive! Nobody would take me seriously; it's bad enough nobody takes me seriously now," she added under her breath. "Don't think I don't know, Aunt Pepper," she said as Pepper opened her mouth to argue. "I know what people say behind my back—that I get all the solos in concerts, or that my pieces get displayed the most, because of who I am. Nobody ever thinks that maybe I earned those solos, or that I worked on those pieces night and day. God forbid I earn anything, I'll just use Dad's money to get me through life!" She was breathing hard, trying not to cry.

Pepper sat beside her and ran a hand down her back. "Nobody ever said you didn't earn any of this. You've worked hard since day one, and you deserve every ounce of recognition."

Erika leaned into Pepper's touch, trying to even out her breathing. Despite loving and trusting Pepper, Erika couldn't help but think 'Why can't I say any of that to Dad? Why isn't he the one comforting me?'

She must've said that out loud, because Pepper turned and put her hands on Erika's shoulders. "Your father does care about you; he just has a hard time with emotions."

"Yeah, I know," Erika sighed. "He's allergic to them, or something."

From that point on, Erika focused on her future career. She practiced her violin day and night, and made sure to do a full set of sketches every night. She had even decided to stop arguing with Tony about the company, and about what else they had to offer.

All that changed one day on her way from school.

Erika was in the back of her dad's driver's car and they were at a red light when Erika glanced out the window at a news stand. A newspaper's headline caught her attention and she squinted, trying to get a better look. The light turned green but Happy stayed where he was, since Erika had gotten out of the car and went up to get a paper. She ignored all the cars behind them and Happy's call of "Ms. Stark?" She picked up a paper, her face going red.

That bastard.

Erika paid for the paper and got back in the car, slamming the door shut. "Happy, I need you to take me to Stark Industries."

"With all due respect, Ms. Stark, my instructions are to take you straight home," was the driver's reply.

"Yeah? Well I'm giving you new instructions; _Drive."_

Happy did as instructed, mainly because he knew there was something wrong—Erika had _never_ spoken to anyone like that. He took her to Stark Industries without another word, and watched as she got out of the car and marched into the building like she owned it (technically she would own it one day, but she'd never been happy about it).

She marched past security, because honestly, she was Erika Maria Stark and everyone else could suck it. She was way above her boiling point by the time she reached the floor with Tony's office, and she ignored Tony's receptionist entirely.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but Mr. Stark is in the middle of something important!" his assistant cried. "He doesn't have time for—"

"I'm his daughter, he can make time!" Erika snapped angrily, and slammed the door open. "What the hell is this?" she asked a startled Tony, throwing the newspaper down on his desk.

Tony blinked, still too startled to give any other reaction. "Last time I checked, that was called a newspaper," he said slowly. "Erika, I'm busy, whatever it is can wait."

Erika huffed, snatching up the newspaper again, and held it up. In thick blocky letters, the headline read **TONY STARK**:** ANIMAL KILLER? **She turned the paper back towards her and read, "Stark Industries turned more than a few heads when it was discovered that their medical research division has been using animals as test subjects. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, along with several other activist groups, has openly voiced its displeasure and is moving to have the Stark Industries medical labs shut down. More on page five." Erika clenched the paper in her fist and glared at Tony. "Why would you do this? Why on god's green earth would you think that something like this was okay? Weapons are one thing, but this?" She slammed the paper back down. "This is just _sick_."

Tony's partner, Obadiah Stane (Whom Erika just realized was in the room), held up his hands and moved around the desk to place a hand on Erika's shoulders. "Look, Kiddo, your dad's got a lot of work to do—he really doesn't have time for this right now."

Erika shrugged his hand off. "He can make time, because I want an explanation. _Now._"

Tony stood up and held up a finger. "One—don't _ever_ use that tone with me again." He held up another finger. "Two—this is _my_ company, and I'll damn well do as I please with it. Right now, you need to leave; we'll discuss this later."

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Erika snapped. "We won't 'discuss it later' because you do what you always do—sweep it under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist! How about we try something new, hmm? It's called '_actually expressing our feelings and talking about important shit.'_"

Tony's hands clenched into fists. "You wanna know what I'm feeling? Fine. Right now, I'm feeling extremely pissed off, because my sixteen year old daughter is yelling at me, _in my own building, _about things she doesn't understand!"

"Oh, I understand alright! I've always understood; you're a greedy, vindictive asshole who doesn't care who he has to step on to get his way! You're a cold blooded killer with a **serious** case of alcoholism, and you don't give a damn about anyone but yourself!" sixteen years of pent-up frustration were spilling out of her, and she didn't even try to stop it. "And you know what else? You're a shitty parent!"

"Hey!" Tony snapped. "That's enough! Now I want you to turn around, march your ass back down those stairs and _go home_," he said, his temper flaring even more.

Erika crossed her arms. "And what if I don't? You gonna call security on me?" she challenged. "I'm not one of your stupid little cunts that you can just talk into submission!"

Tony went back around the desk. He pushed the intercom button and said coldly, "Macy, please notify security that I need someone removed from the premises."

"_Right away, Mr. Stark,_" the receptionist replied.

Erika's jaw dropped. "You ass," she said, astonished. "You're really going to have your own daughter escorted out?" Sure, she'd given him the idea, but she didn't actually think he'd do it. "I can't believe you," she said as two security guards came into the office. "I can't believe you!" she said again, louder, as she was dragged towards the door. Erika struggled to get out of their grasps, to no avail. "Let me go!" she yelled. As she was dragged out of Tony's office, she glared at Tony. "I hate you! I wish _you_ had died instead of Mom!"

Erika screamed all the way down to the first floor, and when the doors were shut on her she screamed even louder. She kicked the door, breathing heavy.

'Don't cry,' she thought. 'Don't you dare cry, not here, not after all that.'

Why shouldn't she, though? Tony had watched, uncaring as his own daughter was manhandled and dragged off the premises, kicking and screaming. Cold hard truth slapped her in the face and she broke down, not caring that she was on a very public sidewalk.

"_You don't give a damn about anyone but yourself!"_

Her own words rang in her head as Happy helped her up off the sidewalk—had he been there the whole time?—and helped her to the car. She cried the whole way home, the same words ringing in her head.

_You don't give a damn about anyone but yourself!_

Erika had said it in anger, but she'd been right—Tony only cared about himself, and his actions proved what a part of her had known all along; he didn't care about her at all. She'd tried communicating with him and he'd thrown her out.

For the first time in her life, Erika saw how much of a cold bastard Tony Stark really was.

* * *

**A/N: Oh my Hel, this chapter was a bitch to write. In my head, Erika's kind of a nature and animal nut, so that's why she freaked out.**


	5. The fallout

**Final chapter! After this, the story is going to take place throughout the first Iron Man movie. Everything's written, I just need to upload it.**

**I finally thought of a title! *happy dance* though I'm not 100% satisfied with it, so it may change.**

* * *

Once she got home, Erika locked herself in her room and pulled up everything she had on Stark Industries. "Jarvis, I need you to get into the company's data files. I need the names and locations of any and all Stark Industries testing labs in Malibu.

"_Dare I ask what for?"_ Jarvis replied.

"Probably not."

Later that night, Erika donned a black hoodie and black pants, and was almost out the door when voices made her freeze.

"All I'm saying is that maybe you were a little hard on her."

That would be Pepper.

"Great, now you're taking her side."

And _that_ would be the douchebag himself.

"I'm not taking anyone's side, I'm just saying that maybe you two should sit down and talk about what happened today."

"What's there to talk about? She barged into _my_ workspace, on _my_ time, to talk about something completely out of left field. I mean, Animal testing? C'mon."

Erika didn't want to hear any more, so she left.

A few moments later, Pepper and Tony came up from the stairs leading down to Tony's workshop. "Did you even know about the testing?" Pepper asked, because she sure as hell hadn't approved that.

Tony shook his head. "No, honestly," he said tiredly. "I had no idea." He sank onto the couch, massaging his temples. "I talked to Obie about it—he said he'd take care of it."

"I know, I was there," she reminded him gently. "Tony, you really need to talk to Erika—she thinks you approved the testing, and while I know you're not an animal lover, I also know that even you aren't that heartless."

"Not that you know of, anyway," he said. A Look from Pepper made him hold up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay," he said, easing himself off the couch. "This is me, going to talk to her. See? Here I go," and he headed towards Erika's room. He knocked. "Erika?"

No reply.

"Erika, open the door."

Still no reply; not even a 'go away.'

Fine.

"Look, I know you're pissed—I get it, okay? The truth is I had no idea about the animal testing. This was the first I'd heard about it, and I'm not exactly jumping for joy at the prospect of a dumb rabbit being injected with god only know what."

Nothing.

"Okay, strike the 'dumb' part. How's this, then? Tomorrow, I'll make a phone call, and I will personally see to it that animal testing in all Stark Industries labs is shut down immediately. Okay?"

Okay, something was wrong with this picture—Erika wasn't the quiet type, as she'd demonstrated that day. If she was pissed off at you, she'd tell you exactly what you did to piss her off.

"Erika?" Tony said slowly, opening her door.

She was gone.

"Shit!" Tony slammed the door shut. "Pepper!"

"Tony, what's wrong?" Pepper asked, worried.

"She's gone," he said, then , "Jarvis, track her phone."

"_Unfortunately, Miss Stark has left her phone in her bedroom."_

"Does she have _anything_ on her that can be traced? Laptop, ebook, StarkPad, anything?"

"_No, Sir."_

"Shit." He was Tony fucking Stark—there HAD to be a way to find her. "Jarvis, hack into the traffic light cameras, see if you can find her. She's either in one of my cars or the bike I bought her."

"_It appears that her bike is gone from the garage."_

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit! Fuck!"

Erika had never snuck out before; yeah, okay, he probably wouldn't have noticed on a normal night, but tonight he'd been stressed and decided to skip the 'mindless sex with a random stranger' thing. He knew, though, that she'd never snuck out because she'd always told him when she left the house for anything other than school.

It took Jarvis four hours ("Buddy, you need an upgrade,"), but he finally found her. He informed Tony of Erika's wherabouts the same time Pepper got a phone call from the police station.

It turns out Erika had gone to the Stark Industries testing labs and attempted to set all the animals there free. She'd been about half-way done when the cops caught up with her.

When Tony got Erika home, he grounded her for a month.

He thought after that night, things would go back to normal—well, what was normal for them anyway.

They didn't.

During the rest of the year, Erika made her displeasure known to all who crossed her path.

She spent her seventeenth birthday in a holding cell because she'd joined a protest, and the cops had shown up. It had started as a peaceful protest, but hings go ugly, and twenty other individuals got arrested. Once they found out who Erika was, they just put her in a holding cell and called Pepper.

"What, the great Tony Stark couldn't be bothered to come down here himself?" she spat. Pepper sighed and motioned for Erika to get up. She didn't know what had gotten into the once-lively teenager, but whatever it was it had rotted her to the core. She snuck out almost every night, she didn't listen to anyone—honestly, Pepper didn't know what to do with her, and Tony . . . . .

Tony hadn't taken it well. In Erika's eyes, he'd gone from bad to worse, and she'd done everything in her power to let him know how much she hated him and what he supposedly stood for. She hated Stark Industries and anyone that had anything to do with it.

This had rubbed Tony the wrong way, and instead of sitting her down, apologizing, and talking to her like a normal person, he bottled everything up and ignored her. He drank more, he went to more parties, he brought women home every single night, and he all but shut Erika out of his life.

The same could be said for her.

Oh, they still interacted when it was called for, but for the most part they avoided each other.

This is how life in the Stark household went, up until the year Erika turned eighteen.

That was the year everything changed.

* * *

**Iron Man time! Yay!**

**The next one will be very similar to the original Iron Man movie, just tweaked enough to throw Erika in with everything.**


	6. Meet Erika Stark--Again

**Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Obadiah Stane, James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, and any and all other characters in Iron Man belong to Marvel Studios, as well as the Iron Man plot.**

**Erika Stark is all mine, though **

**I meant to get this up yesterday, but when I got home from work I kinda went on Tumblr.**

**Needless to say, I was on there for a while.**

**Without further ado, here's part two (sorry, bad pun)**

* * *

For the first time in years, Erika Stark was actually glad to have woken up so early. The dream she'd woken up from was—not disturbing, but not exactly a merry skip through Candy Land. She'd been on a beach and there had been a giant snake in the water. Only, she'd played her violin for it (him), like she always did and it (he) took a human form. He'd been tall, taller than anybody she'd ever met. His inky black hair had been slicked back into a high pony tail, and he'd been wearing a lot of leather. What she remembered the most, though, was the earring through his right ear—a hoop shaped like a snake, with the clasp being its tail meeting up with its mouth.

Erika remembered being startled and asking why he'd changed. He'd replied, cryptically, that she'd hit maturity, and that she'd better get ready for her life to change.

Once upon a time, Erika had taken medication for her dreams. Now, she let them come as they pleased—she didn't really care anymore.

Erika mentally shook herself, brushing off the lingering feeling that the dream had left her with, and rolled out of bed. She brushed out her back-length black-and-blonde streaked hair and kept it out of her face with an emerald-studded hairclip. She pulled a pair of Miss Me studded jeans over her narrow hips and slid into a dark green off-the shoulder shirt. For the finishing touch, she opened the jewelry box on her dresser and pulled out a gold chain with a single teardrop emerald.

"Jarvis, is Tony still awake?" Erika asked the house's AI, hoping that the answer would be no.

She wasn't disappointed.

"_My security footage shows your father going to bed approximately half an hour ago," _Jarvis responded.

"Good," was all she said, ignoring the AI's obvious hinting at her lack of the words "dad" or "father."

She hadn't thought of Tony as Dad since she was sixteen.

Erika left her bedroom and headed out towards the kitchen. She fished out her apron and fastened it around her waist before moving around, collecting ingredients from the fridge and the cupboards; she wasn't a great cook, but at least she knew _how_ to cook.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" she asked, sliding the last of a small stack of pancakes onto a plate.

"_You have an awards ceremony for your latest prize-winning piece. The ceremony is at three o'clock this afternoon."_

Erika bobbed her head to show she'd been listening. "Thank you, Jarvis."

"_Also, you and your father are scheduled to leave for Las Vegas in approximately twelve hours for your father's receiving of the Apogee Award."_

Erika rolled her eyes. "Great, another stupid trophy for his weapons," she muttered, and that was all she had to say on the subject.

Erika's ceremony was being held at her school, and she stood by her piece proudly as it was given a blue ribbon. This had been a new subject of study for her—instead of the usual snake, dead girl, horse and wolf, Erika had dreamed about a man with dark hair and bright green eyes, dressed in gold and green armor and leather. In her dream, he'd been surprised to see her and she'd managed to re-create that surprise on paper. As soon as she woke up, she'd started sketching, adding color before it was even fully done in pencil.

For some reason, naming the piece had been easy, and she'd written **"Lost" **across a small label card.

Several people speculated on why she'd titled it as such, and none of them were right. In her dream, she'd felt an almost instant connection with this man—whoever he was. Erika didn't know why, but it was like seeing someone you thought long gone.

Well, whoever he was, he'd won her another blue ribbon.

* * *

**A/N: Iriginally, I was going to end this with the last chapter and start a new one for these chapters, but I figured I'd keep them together.**

**Three guesses on who the mystery dream man is, and the first two don't count.**

**Also, I got the inspiration for Jormungand's human form from a piece on deviantart. Just type in 'Fenrir, Hel, and Jormungand WIP', it's by ~Kota-Stoker**


	7. Viva Las Vegas

**Here's a long-ish chapter, because I'm gonna be busy for the next couple of days, and I don't know when the next update will be.**

**Iron Man characters are Marvel's, Erika is mine**

**Alright, moment of truth-Erika's story is now merging with the Iron Man timeline (hope I didn't mess it up too bad).**

* * *

Twelve hours later, Tony and Erika were on-board one of Tony's private jets on their way to Vegas. As soon as the plane landed Tony had headed straight for the casino.

Erika watched him go and then headed up to her hotel room to get ready for the Awards ceremony. She did her hair in a bun with strands of hair framing her face, and her dress for the ceremony was calf-length and a green so dark it was almost black. Her teardrop necklace was securely in place and she had teardrop earrings to match.

Erika was swarmed by paparazzi on her way to Caesar's Palace and she did her best to smile for every camera that flashed in her face. Usually she didn't have a problem smiling for the camera, but tonight she just wanted to lay low.

Sometimes, being a Stark sucked.

"There she is," Tony's co-partner Obadiah Stane said to her once he'd caught sight of her. "Not the man of the hour, but close enough. How are you doing, kiddo?"

Erika smiled and hugged Obadiah. It was a forced smile, but a smile none the less. "I'm fine, Uncle Obie," she said. "Is the ceremony going to start soon?"

Obadiah chuckled and guided her inside. "Someone's eager to get this over with, aren't they?" he asked.

Erika shrugged and forced a smile as another camera flashed a picture of her and Obie. "You know how I feel about the company," she said through her teeth, still smiling. "This award is for creating better ways to kill people."

"Collateral damage," Obie replied through an equally strained smile.

"Whatever."

Obie patted her on the shoulder—a little harder than necessary, if she was completely honest—and then guided her inside. Once away from the cameras, she jerked out of his grip and made her own way into the assembly hall. She found a seat as far away from the older man as possible.

The presentation started.

"_Tony Stark," _an overheard voice started as the lights dimmed and a slideshow of Tony began. "_Visionary. Genius. American Patriot."_

Erika rolled her eyes—they were laying it on a little thick.

_Even from an early age, the son of Legendary weapons developer Howard Stark quickly stole the spotlight with his brilliant and unique mind. At age four, he built his first circuit board. At age six, his first engine. And at seventeen, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from MIT._

The tabloids had been hoping that Erika was another Tony, another genius, ready to follow in her father's footsteps.

She definitely had a Stark mind, but Hell would freeze over before she used it for a weapons company.

_Then, the passing of a titan. Howard Stark's lifelong friend and ally, Obadiah Stane, steps in to fill the gap left by the legendary founder, until, at age 21, the prodigal son returns, and is anointed the new CEO of Stark Industries._ _With the keys to the kingdom, Tony ushers in a new era for his father's legacy, creating smarter weapons, advanced robotics, satellite targeting. Today, Tony Stark has changed the face of the weapons industry by ensuring freedom, and protecting America and her interests around the globe."_

Tony's best friend Colonel James Rhodes got up on stage and stood in front of the microphone. "As liaison to Stark Industries," he began, "I've had the unique privilege of serving with a real patriot. He is my friend and he is my great mentor. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present this year's Apogee Award to Mr. Tony Stark."

Everyone applauded and waited for Tony to get up on stage for his award.

He didn't.

"Tony?" Rhodey repeated.

'Figures,' Erika thought.

Since Tony was nowhere in sight, Obie got up and went to accept the award. He and Rhodey shook ands and Rhodey left the stage.

"This is beautiful," said Obie. "Thank you, thank you all very much. This is wonderful." He cleared his throat. "Well, I'm not Tony Stark," he said after a moment's pause.

That got a laugh out of almost everyone.

"But if I were Tony, I would tell you how honored I feel," Obie continued. "And what a joy it is to receive this very prestigious award."

Another round of applause.

"Tony, you know . . ." Obie hesitated, searching for the right words. "The best thing about Tony is also the worst thing—he's always working."

Obie finished his speech and left the stage, and after the ceremony he caught Erika on her way to go talk to Rhodey. "Erika, do you know where your father is?" he asked her while putting an arm around her, posing for a picture.

Erika's smile never left her face. "I have no idea," she said through clenched teeth. "The last time I saw him, he was headed for the casino."

Obie nodded thoughtfully. "Colonel," he addressed Rhodey, who'd wandered towards them, and handed Rhodey the award. "See if you can track Tony down, Erika thinks he might be in the casino."

"I'll go with you," Erika added as she slid out of Obie's grasp. "I've got a few things I'd like to say to Tony." She gave Rhodey a quick hug. "Hey, Uncle Rhodey," she greeted.

"Hey, kiddo," Rhodey said quietly. "Let's go have a chat with your dad—though you may want to cover your ears for the majority of it," he said, only half-kidding.

For a military man, Rhodey was alright.

The manager in front of the casino's entrance stopped them on their way in and asked to see Erika's I.D.

"She's with me," said Rhodey. "We're just looking for someone."

"I'm sorry, I can't let her in if she isn't over twenty-one," he said in a patient voice.

"Seriously?" she snorted. "You can't bend the rule, just this once?"

The manager shook his head.

'Fine, time to turn up the charm,' she thought. Erika put on her best Pouty face and said in her best Daddy's Little Girl voice, "Not even for Tony Stark's _only_ daughter?" she pouted.

The manager relented, as Erika knew he would. "Somebody shoot me," she muttered as they swept past him. "I _hate_ playing the Stark card."

"Well, then, thank goodness you don't have to play it that often," said Rhodey. "I thought teenage girls were supposed to be all about breaking rules—do you know how many girls would kill to be in your shoes?"

Erika grimaced at the thought of anyone touching her designer shoes (yes, she knew Rhodey's statement was a figure of speech). She admitted to having flaws, and her love of good shoes was one of them; she never could say no to a pair of Gucci heels.

Erika and Rhodey found Tony at a Roulette table surrounded by onlookers—mostly women. "Work it! Come on!" he exclaimed as he threw the dice on the table.

"You are unbelievable," said Rhodey as he stood at Tony's right. Erika stayed behind him; she'd let Rhodey say his peace, and then she'd have a go.

"Oh, no," Tony began. "Did they rope you into this?"

"Nobody roped me into anything! They told me that if I presented you with an award, you'd be deeply honored."

"Of course I'd be deeply honored," said Tony, sounding interested and not interested at the same time. "And it's you, that's great. So when do we do it?" he asked, taking a step back when Rhodey all but shoved the glass statuette in his hand. "There it is, that was easy. Wow," he glanced over his shades at the award. "Would you look at that? That's something else. I don't have any of those floating around." He handed the award absent-mindedly to a dark haired-girl with a low-cut dress, then turned his attention back to the table. "We're gonna let it ride!" He smirked at the brunette and held out the dice in his hand. "Give me a hand, will you? Give me a little something-something."

Erika frowned as the brunette blew on the dice in Tony's hand. She was all too familiar with her dad's promiscuous ways.

"Okay, you too," said Tony, holding the dice out to Rhodey—that actually made Erika snort, and it alerted Tony to her presence at the roulette table. Rhodey knocked the dice out of Tony's hand, and Tony glanced at the dice—bad roll—and then looked back at Erika. "And you're in here because . . . . ?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Erika crossed her arms. "Just wondering why the Billionaire Genius Philanthropist wasn't there to accept his award—the whole reason we had to fly to Vegas in the first place," she said in a falsely sweet tone.

"You forgot playboy," Tony said after a few seconds hesitation.

"Trust me, it's hard to forget," she bit out, glaring at the brunette holding her dad's award and giving Tony a sultry smile. "Back off," Erika snarled, grabbing the statuette out of her manicured hands and shoving it back into Tony's.

"Wow, what's got you so wound up?" Tony asked, moving away from the table after Rhodey, giving the brunette one last look. "What, did they run out of your favorite eyeliner? No more Prada?"

"Don't even joke about that," she interrupted. "The end of Prada is the end of civilization as we know it." She shook her head. "Not that you'd know, but I had a concert tonight—a concert that I had to respectfully ask our producer to postpone, because I had to fly to Vegas to watch _someone_ get an award for making things blow up," she snapped (and, of course, Tony tuned her out).

"This is my exit," said Rhodey as they approached a man and woman dressed as Caesar and Cleopatra. He pointed at Tony. "Tomorrow, don't be late."

Tony waved him off. "Yeah, you can count on it."

"I'm serious!" Rhodey warned.

"I know, I know," he gave Rhodey another wave as the Colonel made his exit. "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, there you go." Tony handed the award to the fake Caesar and kept walking. Erika sighed, apologized to the man, and took back Tony's award.

Out by the car they were stopped by a blonde reporter. "Mr. Stark! Excuse me, Mr. Stark!" she called after them. "Christine Everhart, Vanity Fair magazine. Can I ask you a couple of questions?"

Erika gave in to the urge to groan. They'd been so close to a clean getaway . . .

Tony looked to his driver Happy, who said "She's cute."

"She's all right?" Tony asked for confirmation, then spun around and smiled at the reporter. "Hi."

She gave an equally phony smile. "Hi."

"Yeah. Okay, go," he motioned for her to continue.

Erika watched at this reporter turned up the charm, ignoring her presence completely—and she didn't know how to feel about that. On one side, Erika was used to people ignoring her entirely in favor of her dad. On the other, it kind of sucked being treated like she wasn't even there.

"You've been called the Da Vinci of our time," Christine continued. "What do you say to that?"

"Absolutely ridiculous, I don't paint," Tony replied.

"Da Vinci was an inventor," Erika interjected, deciding to remind Ms. Everhart of her existence, whether the reporter liked it or not. "Van Gough was the painter."

Tony snapped and pointed at her. "Right, I knew that."

Erika snorted. "Riiiiight."

Christine, disliking the interruption, cleared her throat to bring the attention back to her. "And what do you say to your other nickname? "The Merchant of Death"?" she asked.

Tony and Erika spoke at the same time.

"Hate it," said Erika.

"That's not bad," said Tony. "Let me guess. Berkeley?" he continued.

"Brown, actually," Christine corrected.

"Well, Ms. Brown, it's an imperfect world, but it's the only one we've got," said Tony. "I guarantee you, the day weapons are no longer needed to keep the peace, I'll start making bricks and beams for baby hospitals."

"Rehearse that much?" said Christine in a condescending tone.

"Every night in front of the mirror before bedtime," he affirmed.

"I can see that."

"I'd like to show you first-hand," Tony offered, smirking.

Christine crossed her arms. "All I want is a serious answer."

"Okay, here's serious," Tony huffed, taking off his sunglasses. "My old man had a philosophy, "Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy."

"That's a great line coming from the guy selling the sticks," she countered.

"My father helped defeat the Nazis. He worked on the Manhattan Project. A lot of people, including your professors at Brown, would call that being a hero," Tony ground out, clearly getting irritated.

"And a lot of people would also call that war profiteering."

"Tell me, do you plan to report on the millions we've saved by advancing medical technology, or kept from starvation with our intelli-crops? All those breakthroughs, military funding, honey."

Christine tilted her head. "You ever lose an hour of sleep your whole life?" she asked incredulously.

Tony looked her up and down. "I'd be prepared to lose a few with you."

"And _that_, boys and girls, is where I draw the line," Erika interjected. "I'm just gonna go ahead and get my own ride home, okay? Okay, buh-bye." She wandered off to see if Rhodey was still around. He wasn't but Obadiah was just getting ready to leave.

"Hey, Uncle Obie, can I get a ride?" Erika called, turning up the charm and giving Obie her best Tony's Dealing with a Skank and I Don't Wanna See That look.

Erika ended up not only getting a ride back to the hotel, but also getting a ride back to Malibu in Obie's own jet.

"Thanks," she called to Obie's driver as they let her off in front of her house. She went up to her room, changed out of her dress, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillows.

* * *

**A/N: Like I said, I have no idea when my next update will be. I'll try to get the next one up as quick as I can.**


	8. The Kidnapping

_**Surprise! So, it turns out today wasn't nearly as busy as I though it would be.**_

_**Good grief, so many followers already . . .**_

_**I you all **_

_**I'll be uploading a few chapters at a time from this point on, and hopefully I'll get the whole thing posted by Sunday. Thank you for being patient, I promise I'll get to The Avengers.**_

* * *

_Erika was standing in a dimly lit room, surrounded by mist. She wandered from wall to wall before calling out, "Hello?"_

"_Now _this_ is intriguing," someone said behind her. "What realm do you hail from, little one?" A cloaked woman was in front of her, but the room was too dark to make out any defining features. "Vanaheim? Alfheim?"_

_Erika took a step back. "Um, I'm from Malibu."_

_The woman came closer and Erika fought the urge to step back._

_It was the half-dead woman—Hela._

"_You've been here before," said Hela. "I've seen you in my realm many times." She circled Erika. "What draws you here, I wonder?"_

Erika bolted upright in bed, breathing hard. She looked around her room and swallowed roughly.

"Whoa."

Erika didn't even bother getting dressed; she just went straight downstairs and poured herself a bowl of cereal.

Miss Christine Everhart of Vanity Fair chose that moment to make another appearance, wearing nothing but one of Tony's button-down shirts. She tried to gain access to something, and was denied.

"Yeah, Jarvis is kind of a stickler when it comes to who does and doesn't have access to places," said Erika, completely meaning to sound like a snide teenager. She was frustrated by her recent dream, and made no effort to play nice with one of Tony's one-night stands. "Sorry to tell you this, Honey, but a one-night stand doesn't have that much leg room."

Christine opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Tony's assistant Pepper. "That's quite enough, Erika," she said, holding a dry-cleaning bag. She smiled at the woman and said, "That was Jarvis, he runs the household." She held up the bag. "I've got your clothes here; they've been dry-cleaned and pressed, and there's a car waiting for you outside that will take you anywhere you'd like to go."

The woman was looking between the teen in the kitchen and the woman in the business suit. "You," she pointed to Erika. "I remember you from last night. You must be the elusive Erika Stark. It's a rare treat, I must say—too bad I don't have my camera."

Erika smiled sweetly. "If you did, I'd just break it," she said in a sugar-coated voice.

The woman scowled and switched her attention to Pepper. "And you must be the famous Pepper Potts."

Pepper nodded. "Indeed, I am."

Christine sneered. "After all these years, Tony still has you picking up the dry-cleaning," she said with a nasty smile.

Pepper's smile never wavered. "I do anything and everything that Mr. Stark requires of me, including, occasionally, taking out the trash. Will that be all?"

"Ooh, burn," Erika sniggered as the woman scowled.

Later that day she was up in her room with her violin when Jarvis interrupted her.

"_I hate to interrupt, but your father is leaving for Afghanistan."_

Erika made an 'and your point is?' face, knowing Jarvis would see it and identify what it meant.

"_Is it not customary for family members to say farewell to one another when one of them leaves the country for a period of time?"_

"Not this family," Erika muttered, going back to practicing her violin. "Tony leaves, he goes to another country to show them things that explode, then he's back home the next night, ready to attend some stupid party, get drunk, and bring a gold-digging whore home. He'll then proceed to have sex with her, and then kick her out in the morning; rinse, lather, repeat."

Tony was almost never home anyways—he'd once been gone a week, getting caught up in party after party (Pepper had nearly killed him for that, she'd been so worried).

Naturally, Erika was unsurprised when Tony didn't return the following evening.

One day of no Tony wasn't a big deal, so Erika didn't freak out about it.

She wouldn't have been worried at all, if Pepper hadn't shown up at Erika's school.

"What's up?" a confused Erika asked Pepper, wondering why she'd been pulled out of class.

Pepper hesitated and Erika noticed how upset she looked. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

"It's Tony."

Erika rolled her eyes. Of course, it was always about Tony. "What, did he OD again?"

Pepper shook her head. "In Afghanistan, on his way back from the Jericho presentation . . ."

The Jericho? "Did something go wrong with the presentation?" Not that she cared, but if something had gone wrong . . . .

The redhead shook her head again. "The presentation was fine. Afterwards, though, the unit escorting him back got ambushed. Most of the unit was killed, and Tony . . . He's gone, Erika."

Bile rose in the back of Erika's throat. "Gone? What do you mean, gone?"

"Erika, I'm so sorry," said Pepper, stepping closer and reaching for the teenager.

Erika jerked away. "No!" she said thickly, then caving and letting Pepper pull her into a hug.

"Rhodey called it in; there was no body, and he thinks Tony is out there, somewhere. He's not going to rest until they find him, and I'm sure in a few days we'll have him back."

A few days turned into a week. One week turned into two, which turned into a month.

"Don't worry, we'll find him," Pepper comforted her. "The military base out there is doing all they can. They're looking everywhere for him."

"What if that's not enough?" Erika asked, wiping away tears for what seemed like the thousandth time. "What if it's too late? What if he's already dead and all they find is a body?" New tears formed and Erika leaned into Pepper.

It was no secret that she and Tony didn't get along—they hadn't for a few years; that didn't mean she wanted him dead.

One month turned into two, and then two months turned into three. Erika had all but given up by now—Tony was gone.

Her dad was gone, and she hadn't even bothered to say goodbye.

. . . . . . . .

Somewhere in Afghanistan, in the middle of the Ten Rings base, Tony sat in a dark cave, doing his best to stay alive.

"You still haven't told me where you're from," he said one night to his companion, an elder man called Yinsen.

"I'm from a small town called Gulmira," was Yinsen's reply. "It's actually a nice place."

Because Tony was curious—and because he was thinking of his own—he asked, "Got family?"

"Yes, and I will see them when I leave here. And you, Stark?"

Tony almost nodded and told him about Erika, that he needed to make it out alive, if not for himself then for her. He'd been a horrible father the last few years (before then, ever since her mother had died) and he needed to see her again. He needed to hold her and tell her how sorry he was, for everything.

The Ten Rings was watching, listening, though, and there was no telling what they'd do to her if they found her.

Tony shook his head. "No."

"So, you are a man who has everything, and nothing," said Yinsen.

'I have Erika,' Tony thought. He had Rhodey and Pepper, and Obie, but they weren't his family—not really.

Erika was all the family he had, and he'd royally screwed up with her.

If he made it out alive—no, WHEN he made it out alive—he was going to fix everything.

* * *

**A/N: Cliffhanger! Except I'll be posting the next one right away, so not really . . . . **


	9. Press Conference

**Tony , Rhodey, Pepper, Obie & everyone else belongs to Marvel, Erika belongs to me.**

* * *

Three months. Three whole months worrying, and crying, and being comforted by Pepper. Three months of not knowing whether her dad—the only family she had—was alive or dead.

Finally, there was a call from Rhodey.

They found him.

After three months of searching, they found him wandering the desert, half-crazed from heat stroke.

Tony was alive. Her dad was alive, and he was coming home. She went with Pepper and Happy to the air force base, of course, and when she saw the back of the plane open up, she almost started to cry. She saw her dad, the proud and powerful Tony Stark, sitting in a wheelchair with his right arm in a sling. He stood from the wheelchair and walked down with Rhodey, and it took every ounce of self-control not to run to him and hug him. Instead, she walked calmly with Pepper to Tony's side.

"Are you kidding me with this? Get rid of them," Tony gestured for the medics with the gurney to get lost. He observed Pepper and 'hmm'd.' "Your eyes are red," he observed. "A few tears for your long-lost boss?"

Pepper wiped her eyes. "Tears of joy, I hate job hunting."

Tony nodded. "Yeah, vacation's over." His gaze switched from Pepper to Erika. "Hey, Kiddo."

He hadn't called her Kiddo since she was sixteen (since that day, back in his office).

Erika's self-control snapped and she surged forward, throwing her arms around Tony. He hugger her back, a little awkwardly, since his right arm was in the sling. "Hey," he repeated softly, and rubbed her back as she began crying again.

After a few minutes of crying, Erika pulled back and did her best to compose herself. She got in the car with Tony and Pepper, and Happy asked, "Where to, Boss?"

"Take us to the hospital, please, Happy," said Pepper.

"No," Said Tony immediately.

"No?" Pepper asked incredulously. "Tony, you have to go to the hospital."

"No is a complete answer."

"The doctor has to look at you."

"I don't have to do anything," Tony said firmly. "I've been in captivity for three months. There are two things I want to do. I want an American cheeseburger, and the other—."

"That's enough of that," Pepper interrupted.

"—is not what you think. I want you to call for a press conference now," Tony finished.

"Call for a press conference?"

"Yeah."

"What on earth for?"

"Hogan, drive. Cheeseburger first."

Erika smiled her first real smile for the first time in three months; it was good to have him back.

The only clue she got about the press conference was Tony sighing, looking at Erika, and saying, "You win," before heading up to the podium.

Erika wasn't sure what he meant until he actually said it. At first, she wasn't sure where he was going with the conference.

"I never got so say goodbye to Dad. I never got to say goodbye to my father, and the same thing almost happened again, this time to someone else; someone else, if not for our military's brave men and women, would've been robbed of the chance to say goodbye to her father."

Erika frowned slightly as all heads turned to her, then back to Tony.

"I think about her—about what she's been telling me for years. I think about Dad, and there're questions I would've asked him."

Erika's frown deepened. 'What are you up to, Dad?' she thought.

"I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did," Tony continued. "If he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels."

Here, Tony paused, as if he was in pain.

"I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability."

A small spark of hope lit up inside of Erika. Did he finally understand how a weapons company hurted more than they helped?

"Mr. Stark!" a reporter called.

"Hey, Ben."

"What happened over there?"

Tony stood back up. "I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up."

Time seemed to slow, and finally Tony said the words Erika had been waiting her whole life to hear.

"And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International until such a time as I can decide what the future of the company will be." He glanced at Erika and she could've sworn she heard him say, "You've been right all along, Kiddo."

Obie ushered Tony out the door after a small speech about an intermission. Erika found him first, in the Arc Reactor building.

"Daddy!"

(It was the first time she'd called him something other than Tony in almost two years).

Tony turned around and found him with an armful of Erika. "You have no idea how happy I am right now," she practically squealed. "No more weapons?" she asked when they parted.

Tony gave her a small smile. "No more weapons."

Erika squealed again and hopped up and down in place, not even caring that she might break a heel. Obie came in and Erika forced herself to calm down.

"Why don't you go back outside, Kiddo," Obie suggested. "I'd like a word with your dad."

"Okay," she said (Not even caring that Obie had used Dad's nickname for her), and left the two men to talk. She didn't find out what they'd talked about until the next day, when she went down to ask Tony a question. She froze and forgot the question when she looked through the glass and saw her dad sitting up from a metal gurney.

There was a circle of light embedded in his chest.

"Don't ever ask me to do anything like that ever again!" Pepper was moaning.

"Dad?" Erika called, and they both looked to the now open lab door. Tony visibly paled and pulled a black shirt on. "Hey Kiddo, need something?"

Erika gave him a questioning stare. "What was that?" she asked shakily.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," he said a little too quickly.

Erika frowned. "If you don't tell me, I'll find out eventually—I'll hack Jarvis if I have to," she threatened.

Tony gave her an 'I'd love to see you try' look, and Erika returned it with her own 'you will.'

Tony sighed. "It's an arc reactor."

Erika gaped. "No way," she said—she'd seen the arc reactor, and it was huge. "You . . . . you made a little one?"

Tony nodded.

"What does it do?" she asked.

Tony hesitated.

"_Dad."_

That's when Erika learned what happened; she learned about the bomb, and about the shrapnel in Tony's heart. She learned that if that little circle of light was ever pulled out, the shrapnel would reach her dad's heart and he'd die. Thinking about him dying, about how easy it would be for him to die . . . .

Erika covered her mouth with her hands in an attempt to stifle her sobs. She couldn't hold them in, though, and Tony held her while she cried.

* * *

**A/N: I had a lot of trouble with this, and I'm still not very happy with it (I re-wrote the bit with the reactor twice).**


	10. Injunction

**I'm not good at angst, so I'm gonna try and keep the angst to a minimum.**

**All Iron Man characters belong to Marvel, blah blah blah**

**Oh, completely unrelated note—I saw Wreck-It Ralph, and the Sugar Rush song has burrowed its way into my brain:**

"**S-U-G-A-R, jump into your racing car! Say Sugar Rush! Sugar Rush!"**

**It's catchy**

* * *

Erika didn't see Tony the next day—Pepper said he'd gone to visit Rhodey—so in order to keep her mind off of yesterday's horrible discovery, she decided to do something she hadn't done in a while.

It was time for a girl's day out.

Erika spent the whole day out and about, buying new things from various stores. At the end of the day, she'd come home with three new shirts (all custom fit, of course), a new dress for the occasional charity gala, four new pairs of jeans (all of them Miss Me, her favorite brand), and three new pairs of shoes (two pairs Gucci, one pair Prada, all of them adorable).

Obie was there when she got home, and he'd brought pizza.

"Ooh, yum," Erika hummed as she went to grab a slice. She dropped her bags by the couch and lounged on the leather cushions, munching on a slice of New York Style pizza. Obie was sitting at the piano, playing a soft tune, and Tony came up from his lair, followed by Pepper.

"How'd it go?" Tony asked Obie.

Obie said nothing.

"It went that bad, huh?"

"Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn't mean it went bad," Obie sighed tiredly.

"Sure it doesn't," Tony muttered, grabbing a slice. "Hey, Kiddo," he said to Erika, only just noticing her presence. Erika raised her hand not occupied with pizza.

"It would have gone better," Obie started, standing up, "If you'd been there."

Tony shrugged. "You told me to lay low, and you take care of it all."

A beat of silence, followed by another heavy sigh from Obie.

"This was a board of directors meeting," he sighed.

Tony blinked. "This was a board of directors meeting?"

Obie nodded. "The board is claiming you have posttraumatic stress."

"What, like PTSD?" Erika interjected.

Obie nodded again "They're filing an injunction," he said.

Erika cocked her head. "A what?"

"They want to lock your father out."

Tony snorted. "Why, 'cause the stocks dipped 40 points? We knew that was gonna happen."

"Fifty-six and a half," Obie corrected

"It doesn't matter," Tony stated firmly. "We own the controlling interest in the company."

Obie had both hands on his hips. "Tony, the board has rights, too. They're making the case that you and your new direction isn't in the company's best interest."

Tony snorted. "I'm being responsible! That's a new direction for me, for the company," He insisted. "I mean, me on the company's behalf being responsible for the way that..." he trailed off and shook his head. "This is great," he muttered.

"Oh, come on. Tony. Tony."

"I'll be in the shop," said Tony, snagging the pizza box

Obie held out a hand to stop Tony. "Hey, hey! Hey, Tony. Listen. I'm trying to turn this thing around, but you gotta give me something," he said. "Something to pitch them." His gaze drifted down the light in Tony's chest. "Let me have the engineers analyze that. You know, draw up some specs."

Tony shook his head and backed away. "No. No, absolutely not."

"It'll give me a bone to throw the boys in New York!" Obie insisted.

"This one stays with me. That's it, Obie. Forget it."

Obie took the pizza box. "All right, well, this stays with me, then. Go on, here, you can have a piece." Tony grabbed another piece and shoved it in his mouth. "Take two."

"Thank you," Tony said around a mouthful of pizza, heading back towards the stairs.

"You mind if I come down there and see what you're doing?" Obie called after him.

Tony waved him off. "Good night, Obie."

Erika looked from her dad's retreating form to Obie's still one. She didn't really understand the conversation that just happened. "Is the company gonna be okay?" she asked tentatively.

Obie sighed. "I honestly don't know," he said, sounding like an old man. Then, he seemed to remember who he was talking to. "Everything's gonna be fine, Kiddo," he reassured her. "The company will be just fine."

Erika looked back towards the stairs. "What about Dad?" she asked quietly.

"Your Dad's a trooper, he'll be fine." And that, it seemed, was the final word on the matter.

* * *

**A/N: The way I see it, since Erika has no interest in the company, Obie doesn't see her as a threat and doesn't mind talking about company problems in front of her.**


	11. Mark II

**I spent a lot of time deciding if and when Erika discovered the Iron Man suit, and I think I made the right decision.**

**Again, big thanks to everyone reading/following/favoriting/reviewing this so far! Your love means so much to me!**

* * *

There were three basic things that summed up Tony Stark's life—drinking, one-night stands, and disappearing into his lab for days a time. Since being rescued from Afghanistan, there'd been less drinking (kind of), and almost no one-night stands, but he still spent plenty of time in his lab.

More time that usual, actually.

One night, Erika's curiosity got the better of her. She walked down the stairs and entered the access code for Tony's lab.

"_I wouldn't recommend that"_ Jarvis sounded.

"Why?" she asked. "What's my old man been up to down here?"

_. . . ._

"Jarvis . . . ."

"_Sir has informed me that this is a private project, which excludes all but him knowing full details."_

Erika sighed. "You're lucky I'm not in the mood to hack you," she muttered.

"_Believe me, I am very much relieved."_

Okay, now he was being a smart-ass. Erika was about to snap at Jarvis to watch the attitude when something came crash-landing through the lab's ceiling and landed on one of Tony's cars. Erika shrieked and threw herself away from whatever had fallen. When the dust cleared, she gaped at the gray armored figure now pushing them self upright.

"What. The Hell!" she cried, still backing away.

The armored figure reached out a hand and said in a synthysized voice. "Erika, it's okay! It's me!"

Erika watched as various robotic limbs began taking the armor off piece by piece. The helmet came off and she gaped.

"DAD?"

After several minutes spent calming her down, Tony managed to get her calm enough to explain himself. He explained about the Mark I, about escaping the cave with Yinsen's help, and how he'd had the idea to remake the suit—the Mark II.

Erika couldn't speak for a few minutes. While she stood there, gaping, Tony fixed himself a cup of coffee and sat down, blinking several computer screens to life. "Notes," he began, viewing specs of his suit. "Main transducer feels sluggish at plus 40 altitude. Hull pressurization is problematic. I'm thinking icing is the probable factor."

"_A very astute observation, sir_," replied Jarvis. "_Perhaps, if you intend to visit other planets, we should improve the exosystems_."

Tony hand wave was non-committal. "Connect to the sys. co. Have it reconfigure the shell metals. Use the gold titanium alloy from the seraphim tactical satellite. That should ensure fuselage integrity while maintaining power-to-weight ratio." Silence, then "Got it?"

"_Yes_," was the AI's dry response. "_Shall I render using proposed specifications_?"

Tony sipped his coffee. "Thrill me." He glanced at Erika, who'd moved closer to look at the computer screens.

"This is what you've been doing," she said incredulously. "Making armor." She gaped at him. "What the hell do YOU need armor for?"

Tony shrugged. "You never know; like it?"

Erika shook her head. "Oh, I love it, but that's beside the point. Again I ask—what does Tony Stark need armor for?"

"And again I say, you never know," was his response.

At some point the TV had come on, and the reporter's voice caught both their attention. "Tonight's red-hot red carpet is right here at the Disney Concert Hall, where Tony Stark's third annual benefit for the Firefighter's Family Fund has become the place to be for L.A.'s high society."

"Ooh, the benefit," Erika muttered. "I _knew_ I forgot something.

Tony blinked and tilted his head. "Jarvis, we get an invite for that?"

"_I have no record of an invitation, sir_," said Jarvis.

"Huh." He looked at Erika. "How do you know about it?"

Erika bit her lip. "I may or may not have been told about it by Pepper, and then forgot about it," she said sheepishly.

"... hasn't been seen in public since his bizarre and highly controversial press conference," the reporter continued. "Some claim he's suffering from posttraumatic stress and has been bedridden for weeks."

Tony and Erika snorted.

"Whatever the case may be, no one expects an appearance from him tonight."

"_The render is complete_," Jarvis chimed.

"A little ostentatious, don't you think?" asked Tony, still focused on the reporter's words.

"_What was I thinking? You're usually so discreet_."

Tony Hmm'd "What do you think, Kiddo? Maybe a little hot-rod red?"

Erika held her hands in front of her. "Hey, it's your metal man," she said.

"Alright, Jarvis, throw some hot-rod red in there, will ya?"

"_Yes, that should help you keep a low profile_," Jarvis snarked.

"Hey, save the sass."

"_The render is complete_," said Jarvis.

"Huh," said Tony. "Hey, I like it. Fabricate it. Paint it."

"_Commencing automated assembly. Estimated completion time is five hours_."

Tony swiveled his chair and looked at Erika. "Still planning on making an appearance?" he asked, standing.

Erika grinned. "Wouldn't miss it," she said. "And, it so happens, I've got a new little number, just waiting to be worn."

"Oh really, and where did that come from?" He enquired.

Erika blinked. "What, a daughter can't get tasteful things from her father once in a while."

"I don't mean that, I only meant that when I do get you something, it would be nice to know about it."

The bickering continued up the stairs until they went to their respective rooms to change. (They both tried not to think about how long it had been since they'd been this comfortable around each other).

Tony cleaned up in a crisp black and white tux while Erika wore her new dress, a strapless knee-length in a lighter green, with gold strappies to match. Her usual emerald necklace was clasped around her neck and she had a small gold handbag.

"Not pinning your hair up?" Tony asked.

"Nope," she replied, running her fingers through her hair. The blonde streaks were fading—she'd have too re-do them sometime soon.

Erika guessed nobody expected Tony to show up, and she guessed that her so-far absence meant nobody expected her to show up, either. Both sent the paparazzi in a roar with their arrival, and Erika preened while Tony handed the keys to a valet. She followed Tony up the red carpet and smiled smugly as a young woman's "Hey Tony, remember me?" was met with "Sure don't."

Okay, so Erika would admit to loving this new-found not-bringing-random-girls-home thing that was going on, though she guessed (correctly) that a lot of it had to do with the Arc Reactor now planted firmly in Tony's chest.

"Looking good, Hef," Tony commented to an older man in a smoking jacket surrounded by women. The man looked around, confused, before giving his attention back to the ladies.

Obie was there, and was talking to a reporter about Stark Industries' latest upheaval. "Weapons manufacturing is only one small part of what Stark Industries is all about, and our partnership with the fire and rescue community..." he trailed off as he saw Erika and Tony.

"What's the world coming to when a guy's gotta crash his own party?" Tony asked him, clapping him on the shoulder.

Obie smiled. "Look at you. Hey, what a surprise."

"I'll see you inside," said Tony, heading past him.

Obie held out a hand. "Hey. Listen, take it slow, all right? I think I got the board right where we want them," he said.

Tony clapped his shoulder again. "You got it. Just cabin fever. I'll just be a minute," and then he proceeded inside, followed by Erika.

* * *

**A/N: These next few chapters were a bitch to write *bangs head on desk***


	12. That Night

**The Concert Hall was on of my personal favorite scenes, but I'm actually cutting my version of it a little for pacing reasons. The Tony/Pepper moment still happens, Christine Everhart gives Tony those pictures, and Tony finds out who locked him out. I glazed over them because I'd like to keep this as Erika's PoV and she doesn't really see any of that. Yes, I will occasionally bring up something that happened without her around to witness it, but for the most part I'm just trying to stick to the parts she's in.**

* * *

The concert hall was gorgeous. There was a dance floor, a chandelier, and lots of other tasteful touches made to the building.

"Nice, Erika murmured, meeting Tony at the bar. "I like what they've done with the place." She glanced at the glass in his hand. "Though, I'll admit being under 21 at a decidedly 21 and over party is kind of lame . . . . ."

"Than why'd you decide to come?" Tony asked, offering her his glass. Erika shook her head and Tony shrugged, knocking back the liquor (Parent of the Year he is not, but he gets points for trying).

Erika glanced around. There wasn't much to do, she thought to herself, and to be completely honest these events always did kind of bore her.

So why did she decide to come? Because of the new dress? Because she wanted to be seen out and about with Tony, like a normal family?

Or maybe because she was so happy that he was getting back out into the public.

Erika focused on Tony and the man in the suit that had just walked up to him.

"Mr. Stark?" the man asked

"Yeah?" Tony replied, sipping his drink.

"Agent Coulson," said the man.

Tony snapped his fingers. "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. The guy from the..." he trailed off.

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," said Coulson.

Tony grimaced. "God, you need a new name for that."

"Yeah, I hear that a lot. Listen, I know this must be a trying time for you, but we need to debrief you. There are still a lot of unanswered questions, and time can be a factor with these things."

Tony clearly wasn't listening anymore, since his gaze was focused across the room. "Let's just put something on the books," he said absent-mindedly. "How about the 24th at 7:00 p.m. at Stark Industries?" Tony glanced at Coulson again. "Tell you what. You got it. You're absolutely right." He gestured across the room. "Well, I'm going to go to my assistant, and we'll make a date." With that he walked away heading towards a stunning redhead in a backless blue dress.

"Oh, wow," Erika murmured; she'd hardly recognized Pepper in that dress and with her hair down in waves like that.

While Tony headed towards Pepper, Erika turned her attention back to the agent. "You were at the press conference," she said.

"Yes, Ma'am," he confirmed. "Agent Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," he repeated.

Erika smiled. "Dad's right, you know—that really is a mouthful." She held out her hand. "Erika Stark."

Agent Coulson took her hand in his and let go after a brief moment, and after her hand fell back to her side Erika studied him; nice face, neat hair, looked good in a suit—not really her type, though. "Well, Agent Coulson from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," (Yeah, she remembered the whole thing, and she could've sworn he looked mildly impressed, but she could be wrong—the guy had one hell of a Poker Face) "It was nice meeting you."

"Likewise," he said with a polite smile.

Erika decided then to leave Tony to his own devices, and wandered back outside. She didn't really know how to drive yet (sad, yes, but could you blame her? She's had Happy to drive her around her whole life), and she didn't want to risk wrecking her dad's favorite car, so she did what any sensible person would do; call Happy and ask him to take her home.

"Miss Stark, may I have a word?" a young-ish reporter asked her.

Erika glanced around—Happy would be at least five minutes, seven if he took his time. "Okay, shoot," she said, and gave him her best Stark smile.

"Miss Stark, how do you feel about the fact that your father's company no longer makes weapons, given that Stark Industries is, in fact, a weapons company?"

Erika's smile stayed on. "Stark Industries has a lot to offer the world besides weapons, and I believe we're still going to have a great year." Her smile widened as the cameraman behind the reporter took picture after picture and another cameraman shot footage with a video camera.

The reporter 'hmm'ed', clearly dissatisfied. "So you don't mind that Stark Industries stocks have dropped fifty points, and are still dropping?"

Erika did her best to give him an 'are-you-kidding?' look while still remaining polite. "I'm a teenage girl, stock numbers mean very little to me. Besides, if I'm completely honest, I think this new turn of events will turn out to be his best decision ever." She gave the camera another smile, and then noticed Happy pulling up. "I'd love to talk some more, but my ride's here. Tootles," she gave a small wave and headed for the car.

"Where to, Ma'am?" Happy asked.

"Home, please," she replied, and sat back as Happy merged into outgoing traffic. Once she was home, she took a shower, changed into her night clothes, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

**A/N: Again, it hurts to glaze over the Tony/Pepper adorableness, but I'm trying to get this thing moving.**


	13. A dream is a wish your heart makes--not

**So this is basically just a filler.**

**I may have mentioned this already, but Jormungand is my favorite out of Loki's kids.**

* * *

"_Seriously?" Erika sighed tiredly. "Can't I just have one full night's rest, for once? No freaky dreams, no mythology, just twelve hours of peaceful nothingness."_

"_I've told you, these are not dreams," a slick voice answered her from behind. "You've spoken of my sister and brother, of appearing before them as you appear before me." Jormungand knelt behind her and she turned to face him. "Your spirit is traveling the Realms while your body slumbers—not dreams, but spiritual projections." He grasped her chin in his hand. "You are tethered to us, Little Sister."_

_Erika frowned. "That doesn't make any sense," she insisted. "And stop calling me 'Little Sister'—I'm an only child." Her gaze dropped. "Dad doesn't have any other kids, and my mother died when I was little."_

_His eyes seemed to flicker. "Are you absolutely sure of that?"_

_Images of Erika's mother—or what she could remember—filled her mind; long dark hair, a voice smooth as honey, and bright green eyes (Erika's eyes—she'd gotten her hair from Tony, but her eyes were from a mother she hardly remembered)._

_What she remembered most, though, was the funeral, and seeing her mother's body in a casket, reading her mother's name on a tombstone._

_It's funny, actually—Erika remembers more about her mom's death than the few years they had with her._

"_I saw the body," she said after a beat. "I saw them lower it into the ground." She stood up and walked a few paces away from him. "This isn't spiritual projection, or whatever you call it—it's a mental illness that causes the same nightmares over, and over," She looked back at him, and there was something cold in her eyes. "I can make all this go away by swallowing a little pill—and that's just what I'm going to do."_

_The look he gave her was almost pitying, and then she woke up._

* * *

**A/N: **Nothing special, just a dream sequence


	14. Jogging in the canyon

**Any and all recognizable characters belong to Marvel.**

**This story is almost over; just a few more chapters, then I'll be moving on to the Avengers (I don't have the patience to re-write Iron Man 2, even though I had a really cool idea for the final robot battle)**

* * *

Erika's day was uneventful. It was a weekend, so there was no school. When Erika went down to Tony's lab, he wasn't there.

"Jarvis, where's Dad?" Erika asked (Ever since he got back she'd been obsessed with keeping tabs on him).

"_Sir is currently out at the moment," _said Jarvis.

Erika frowned. "That didn't answer my question, Jarvis," she said.

"_I am aware of this, but Sir has informed me that his errands are of no consequence to either you or Miss Potts."_

Her frown deepened. "The hell they're not," she said angrily. "I'm his goddamn _daughter_, I have a right to know what the hell is going on—does this have anything to do with that tin man he built himself?" she asked suspiciously.

"_. . . ."_

Erika whipped out her Stark Phone and dialed Tony's number.

"_Not a good time, Kiddo,"_ Tony answered after the fourth ring.

"Where the Hel are you?" Erika asked.

"_Out. Working. Jogging. Take your pick," he said, not sounding very focused._

Erika's nose scrunched. "Since when do you jog? You know what, I know it's a lie so never mind." As she listened harder, she swore it sounded like he was out in the open air—probably breaking a few speed limits.

Oh. Duh.

"Are you . . . flying?" she asked.

"_Listen, Kiddo, this is a really bad-timed call—I'll call you back." _

He disconnected the call.

She didn't hear from him until later, when he was getting the armor taken off and Pepper was yelling at him.

"—Can't believe how selfish you are!"

"Uhm, I just destroyed a good chunk of a known terrorist group, how does that make me selfish?"

"Why would you even put yourself into that position? Do you know what could've happened? For God's sake, Tony, you're not invincible!"

"I never said I was—though, I would like to note that I am bulletproof—as you can see."

"Yes, I can see—what _you_ can't seem to see is the constant worry and stress you cause everyone, including me!"

Pepper paused and took a deep breath.

Seeing that this was going to take a while, Erika backed away from the lab and up to her room.

Later that night, she got her chance to talk with him.

Well, she meant to talk to him. She dragged him up out of his workshop and had every intention of talking about his suit, and how she felt about it.

The thing is, the words got stuck.

Tony Stark had been kidnapped and held prisoner for three months. He'd built himself a suit of armor to escape (He told her about the Mark I and a little about Yinsen—Erika would've liked to meet him), had wandered the desert for days (A lot of people blamed his no-weapons decision on Heatstroke), and had made a life-changing decision about his company. He'd built the Mark II just to prove that he could, and no matter how insanely dangerous it was, he's flown half-way across the world to beat the crap out of his captors (Most people said violence never solved anything, but it worked wonders for relieving stress).

Tony had come back a changed man, and if his new suit was his coping mechanism, who was she to argue?

So, instead of talking about his suit, Erika asked if he'd want to watch a movie with her.

They spent the rest of the night watching all five Harry Potter movies **.**

* * *

"Oh, the joys of homework," Erika muttered the next day as she sat on the floor by the couch, various textbooks sprawled out around her. It wasn't that her schoolwork was hard—far from it, actually. There were times when Erika regretted not skipping a few grades like everyone had suggested.

This was one of those times.

The work was incredibly easy—too easy. The answers came to her in an instant, and she scribbled notes in a bored haze. She looked up from her notes when Pepper walked in. "Hey," she greeted the redhead. "Dad's downstairs," she continued, already knowing why Pepper was at the house.

"How long has he been down there?" Pepper asked.

Erika shrugged. "You know Dad—he basically hibernates down there." She went back to her studying and Pepper went down the stairs to Tony's workshop.

There was something in the base of her skull—a twinge that made her pause and itch the back of her head. A few minutes later, the twinge was back and it actually made Erika tense up.

Huh. Weird.

Pepper came back up the stairs and gave Erika a small smile before leaving, and Erika had to put her pencil down for a moment.

There was—something. A feeling, the barest hint of something that was making her skin crawl.

"Oh-kayyy, that's enough studying," she muttered, sitting up and gathering her textbooks. She went downstairs, frowning.

Nothing was wrong.

Tony was at a workbench, looking over holographic schematics and making changes to them. Erika knocked on the glass and Tony looked up. Once she had his attention, she entered his lab's password (she never liked to just barge in—this was his sacred space and she tried to respect that). "Hey," she greeted. "Everything okay down here?"

Tony went back to viewing his schematics. "Yeah, everything's fine." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Why?"

Erika shrugged.

Tony shifted his focus back to Erika. He took in how her shoulders were slightly hunched and the way she was chewing her lip. "Hey," he said in a serious tone. "You okay?"

Erika nodded, but stopped half-way through the motion. "I guess," she said hesitantly. After a second's hesitation, she said, "Just now, upstairs . . . . I got a bad vibe."

Tony visibly relaxed. "Okay, Lattimer," he snorted. "God, don't scare me like that—for a second I thought something was actually wrong."

Erika frowned. "I'm serious, Dad—I've got a seriously bad feeling, and I don't know why. That's why I came down here to check on you."

Tony sighed and stood up. "Well, as you can see, I'm fine." He gestured around him. "Nothing out of the ordinary—just another day in the life of Tony Stark." He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Everything's fine," he reassured her. "I'm fine, okay?"

Erika nodded. "Okay." She gave him a quick hug then left the workshop. She went back up to her room and attempted to continue her studies. She couldn't focus, though, so she decided to take a nap.

"_No way," Erika huffed angrily. "This shouldn't be happening! I took my pill!" she fumed. She huffed and sat down heavily on the nearest object (a rock)._

"_What troubles you, Little Sister?"_

"_Don't call me that," Erika muttered, not even looking towards the voice._

_Jormangund sat on a rock beside her. "Your mind is troubled," he said. "Why?"_

_Erika sighed. "Oh, I don't know—maybe because I keep having freaky dreams," she snapped. "My seriously warped brain keeps putting me on beaches, or in a stable, or in some nasty old cave God Knows Where, and I keep seeing the same things—_why_ is it always the same?"_

_A low, humorless laugh. "Something else is troubling you this time around, is it not? Perhaps something ails you in the waking world . . . ."_

_Slowly, Erika nodded. "I've had a bad vibe—a really bad feeling—all day, and I don't know why. I feel like my skin's trying to crawl off my body, and my spine's all tingley, and_ why am I telling you this?_ You're not real—what good am I doing? I'm basically talking to myself!"_

_(That was a lie and the both knew it, but Erika was still trying to convince herself she was only dreaming)._

"_Things are not always as they seem," was all he said, and then she woke up._

* * *

**A/N: Cookies for whoever spots the Warehouse 13 reference (it's really not that hard to spot).**


	15. Keep the skies clear

**It took me hours of re-writing to get this chapter to where it is now, and I'm still not entirely satisfied with it. It's the best I can do, though, so it'll have to do**

**Iron Man and all other characters belong to Marvel, Erika's mine.**

* * *

Erika's bad feeling had gotten worse, but she tried to brush it off as nothing. She got out of bed and went to leave her room. _Take your gun_, something deep in her brain told her and she paused just long enough to grab the small handgun out of her purse and tuck it in her waistband.

Erika got halfway down the stairs when a voice made her pause.

"—a shame the government didn't approve it. There are so many applications for short-term paralysis."

"Uncle Obie?" Erika muttered quietly, creeping down the rest of the way; the tingling was back, and it was telling her to be careful. She stood at the base of the stairs, just out of sight from where Obie was.

"Tony."

Erika visibly relaxed—Dad was with him. Whatever was going on, everything was okay, Dad was—

"When I ordered the hit on you, I was worried I was killing the golden goose."

Erika tensed and her eyes widened.

_When I ordered the hit on you . . . _

No.

No _way_.

Erika slowly peeked around the corner and then ducked out of sight, covering her mouth with her hand.

The arc reactor.

Obie was taking the reactor.

Obie was the one who'd filed the injunction.

_Obie was the one who'd ordered Tony killed._

The man Erika had grown to see as an uncle, the man who Tony looked up to and trusted . . .

'_Things are not always as they seem.'_

Obadiah had tricked them all. Tony was dying and there wasn't anything she could do.

_Pfft, yeah, right._

She was Erika god-damn Stark, and if that sneaky little bastard thought he could get away with this, he had another thing coming.

Without making a sound, Erika pulled the gun from her waistband and peered around the corner just in time to see Obadiah put the reactor in a case.

"I wish you could've seen my prototype," he was saying. "It's not as . . . well, it's not as conservative as yours," he said with a chuckle. "Too bad you had to involve Pepper in this, I would have preferred that she lived."

He was going to kill Pepper.

Erika pulled back to hammer on the gun.

"Oh, and before I leave, there's one other thing—that little brat of yours. She's going to be so heartbroken when she hears about how the terrorists found you. Don't worry, though; I'll be sure to be there for her, just like I was there for you."

"Nice try, Shithead," Erika said as she rounded the corner and aimed the gun at Obadiah.

Obadiah didn't seem at all surprised to see her. "Erika," he said in a false soothing voice. "We were just talking about you."

"I heard," Erika growled. "Now if you wanna keep that brain of yours inside your skull, I suggest you put the reactor back where it belongs and _get the hell out of my house._"

Obadiah sighed and moved to close the case containing the reactor.

"I said _put it back!"_ Erika snapped. Her gaze flickered from Obadiah to Tony's motionless form on the couch. He was pale—way too pale, and the veins in his face and neck were sticking out.

Erika swallowed thickly and focused on Obadiah. "Obadiah, I swear to the gods that if you don't put the reactor back where it belongs, I will shoot your fucking head off."

Before she could blink, Obadiah withdrew his own gun and shot her right shoulder. She screamed and dropped her gun, clutching her shoulder with her left hand. Before she could think about it, her feet already had her on a set path down the stairs to her dad's workshop. She got the door open and ran in just as Obadiah descended the stairs after her.

"Jarvis, security code L-D-0-0-4, Clearance Code 3-7-4-5-2," she said in a hurried breath. The access panel by the door deactivated and the workshop went into lockdown mode. No matter how hard Obadiah tried, he wouldn't be able to get in.

"It doesn't matter what you do, Erika," said Obadiah. "I've got the reactor, and I'd say your dad is running out of time. Now, be a good girl and come out of there, and I'll overlook that little mishap upstairs. I could really use a Stark onboard, and I'll be the father that Tony never was."

"Tony's a better father than you could ever hope to be," Erika seethed. "And I'm sure the media would _love_ to hear about his death at the hands of his trusted business partner."

"Nobody will believe you," Obadiah sneered. "Who's going to believe a teenage girl, so far in her grief that she can't tell friend from foe."

"Fuck you," she spat.

Obadiah took a deep breath through his nose. "I'll deal with you later," he sneered, and then marched back up the stairs. "Oh, you might want to get that shoulder looked at."

As soon as he was gone, Erika darted across the workshop to the med kit Tony had stored. She cleaned and wrapped her shoulder as best as she could, and then her mind went back to the dying man upstairs.

"Jarvis, does Dad have another arc reactor somewhere?" she asked, suddenly remembering his earlier reactor.

"_The only other reactor I'm aware of was given to Miss. Potts for recycling—"_

"Shit," she muttered.

"—_however, instead of disposing of it, Miss Potts saw fit to frame it and gift it to Sir as, and I quote, 'Proof that Tony Stark has a Heart.'"_

There!

On one of the workbenches, encased in glass and surrounded by a circle of chrome engraving.

Proof that Tony Stark has a Heart.

Erika smashed the case and fumbled to pick up the reactor. She deactivated the workshop's lockdown mode and hurried back upstairs as quick as her legs would carry her, and was met with the sight of Tony trying to get up off the couch. He stumbled and rolled across the carpet, and tried to drag himself up.

"Here," said Erika, kneeling beside him and propping him up. "Here, the other reactor's right here." She looked at the gaping hole in his chest and was almost sick. "Oh gods, how do I get it in?" she asked.

Trembling, pale fingers took her hands and guided her movements, and after a few fumbled attempts the old reactor was plugged into the empty socket. It took Tony a few minutes to get his bearings, and by the time he was able to sit up Rhodey had come running in.

"Tony! You okay?" the colonel asked, though a moment later he saw that the inventor was a far cry from okay.

"Where's Pepper?" Tony gasped, still struggling for breath.

"She's with five agents," said Rhodey as he and Erika helped Tony to his feet. "They're about to arrest Obadiah."

Tony shook his head and made a stumbled move towards the elevator. "That's not going to be enough."

They got him down to the workshop and watched as he suited up.

"That's the coolest thing I've ever seen," said Rhodey.

Despite the circumstances, Tony allowed himself a small smirk.

"You need me to do anything else?" Rhodey asked.

"Keep the skies clear," was all Tony said.

"What can I do?" Erika asked.

Tony paused and ran an armor-clad hand through her hair. "You've already done so much," he said gently, and he just then seemed to notice Erika's wrapped shoulder. You've been so brave, and now I need you to stay here; don't move until you hear from one of us."

It wasn't a question.

Erika nodded and watched as Tony kicked aside a ruined car and rocketed out of the pre-existing hole in the roof.

Rhodey glanced over at the Mark II on display and whistled. "Next time, Baby," he muttered.

"In your dreams," was all Erika said before collapsing into a nearby chair. She leaned her head back and let out a hiss of air through her teeth, clutching her shoulder. "Damn, that stings."

"What happened?" Rhodey asked as he knelt beside her.

Erika let out a shaky laugh. "Obadiah Stane happened." She sighed and closed her eyes. "I can't believe that bastard tricked us," she muttered.  
"Hey, he fooled us all," was all Rhodey said. They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Rhodey got up. "You gonna be okay?"

Erika nodded. "Go keep the skies clear, Colonel. I'll be fine."

Rhodey gave her a gentle hug then left to go do what he could to help Tony. Erika went back upstairs, took several painkillers, and slumped down on the couch.

_Jormungand was right—they weren't dreams at all. She was still aware of her surroundings, but at the same time she was universes away from home. She was in a stable, surrounded by enormous horses. One in particular caught her eye and she wandered over to it._

"_Sliepnir," she said quietly, and the huge black stallion's head rose. There was an intelligence in those eyes that was decidedly higher than the average equine, and he snorted as Erika reached out to rub his muzzle._

"_I'm scared," she said, because out of all of them Sliepnir was who she told her fears to. "Dad's out there, fighting for his life, and all I can do is stay home and take a nap. I don't have any weapons, or a suit of armor—I can't help him."_

_Sliepnir snorted and tossed his head. His muzzle nudged her right shoulder, which wasn't in nearly as much pain as it should have been._

'_Must be the painkillers,' she thought tiredly._

_What felt like an eternity of silence stretched between them._

"_So," she said hesitantly. "Jormungand kept telling me that I wasn't' dreaming, and now I'm starting to believe him . . . ." she laughed bitterly. "it figures—I finally accept this amazing ability just when I might lose the only other person I can talk to about it."_

_Sliepnir snorted._

"_You don't count," she added. "I've always told you crazy stuff, even when I thought you weren't real." She sighed again. "I'm gonna be honest here—I don't really trust the others. Fenrir scares the Hel out of me, Hela doesn't seem like someone I'd get along with, and Jormungand reminds me of a car salesman."_

_Another snort._

"_A really sneaky person," she clarified, not at all bothered by the fact that she was talking to and could understand a horse._

"_Jormungand called me Little Sister, and I'm pretty sure he's not related to Dad. So, who's the one person that ties all four of you together?"_

_Erika took a step back and shook her head. "It doesn't make sense, though," she said. "I had a mom, and she's dead. There's no way—"_

_Something startled her and she jerked back to reality._

Erika sat up and looked around, trying to figure out what had startled her.

Pepper was sitting beside her, her eyes red .

Erika immediately thought the worst. "Oh God, no," she breathed. Tears were already building and she was starting to shake. "God, he's—"

"He's alive," Pepper interjected.

Her words didn't register right away and Erika started crying.

"Obadiah?" Erika asked after a few moments.

"Dead."

Erika nodded. "Good."

Exhaustion won out and she fell asleep soon after that, the ache in her shoulder a dull throb.

* * *

**A/N: Sliepnir was actually the first thing I'd read about Norse Mythology. I'd randomly decided to google Loki, then I saw a side story about how he gave birth to a horse. I giggled for about ten minutes before actually reading the story.**


	16. I am Iron Man

**Alrighty, time to wrap this bad boy up!**

**I wanna give a big thank you to everyone reading this. Reviews are appreciated, but not necessary; I tend to smile when I see someone's added it to their favorites and story alerts. You're all beautiful and I love you all, and I'll see y'all again real soon for the sequel.**

* * *

The next day, Erika refused to leave Tony's side. When he went in the bathroom, she sat outside the door and waited for him to come back out again.

"I'm not going to die in the bathroom," he said, amused, as he continued to get ready for a press conference.

"You never know," was all she said.

"So you're coming up on stage with me, then?" he asked.

"Yup."

Rhodey informed them of the cover story and Pepper presented Tony with a newspaper.

"'Iron Man.' That's kind of catchy," Tony admitted "It's got a nice ring to it."

"Isn't the suit technically a gold-titanium alloy?" Erika asked.

Tony shrugged "Yeah, but it's kind of evocative; the imagery, anyway."

Agent Coulson with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Engagement and Logistics Division came into the room and tried to hand Tony a stack of cue cards. "Here's your alibi," he said.

Tony stared at the cards and Erika rolled her eyes before taking the cards and holding them out for Tony to take (she wasn't handing him anything, just holding the cards until he took them from her).

"You were on your yacht," Agent Coulson continued. "We have port papers that put you in Avalon all night, and sworn statements from 50 of your guests."

Tony shuffled through the cards. "See, I was thinking maybe we should say it was just Pepper and me alone on the island," he said.

"What about me?" Erika huffed playfully.

Tony just stared at her. "What? You're old enough to stay home alone," he insisted, though as he said it he glanced at the sling her right arm was in. She'd told him that the sling wasn't necessary ("Really, Dad, it doesn't even hurt!" (which was kinda weird)), but he'd insisted.

"Just read the cards, word for word," Coulson insisted.

Tony looked through them again. "There's nothing in here about Stane."

Erika tensed at hearing that name and Pepper put a calming hand on her left shoulder.

"That's being handled," Coulson assured Tony. "He's on vacation." He gave a small, tight smile. "Small aircrafts have such a poor safety record."

There was one part about the alibi that Erika didn't like. "What about the whole cover story that the suit's a bodyguard? Don't you think that's kinda flimsy?"

Agent Coulson gave her the barest hint of a smile. "This isn't my first rodeo, Miss Stark." He turned back to Tony. "Just stick to the official statement, and all this will be behind you."

Tony was informed that he had 90 seconds until he had to go up to the podium.

"Agent Coulson," Tony said to the agent's retreating form. "I just wanted to say thank you very much for all your help."

Coulson nodded. "That's what we do. You'll be hearing from us."

"From the Strategic Homeland . . . ."

Another hint of a smile. "Just call us S.H.I.E.L.D." And then he was gone.

"Right, let's get this show on the road."

Pepper was in front of Tony, straightening his tie. "You know, it's actually not that bad. Even I don't think I'm Iron Man," he said.

"You're not Iron man," said Pepper.

Tony frowned. "Am so."

"You're not."

"Suit yourself," Tony muttered, then, louder, he said, "You know, if I was Iron Man, I'd have this girlfriend who knew my true identity."

Erika snorted. "Oh, Gods," she muttered.

"She'd be a wreck, 'cause she'd always be worrying that I was going to die, yet so proud of the man I'd become," Tony continued. "She'd be wildly conflicted, which would only make her more crazy about me."

Pepper didn't say anything.

"Tell me you never think about that night," he pushed.

"What night?" Pepper asked.

"You know."

Erika's eyebrows raised. Now _this_, she had to hear.

Pepper gave Tony a somewhat intense look. "Are you talking about the night that we danced and went up on the roof, and then you went downstairs to get me a drink—"

'Go on,' Erika thought as Pepper paused.

"—and you left me there, by myself?"

Ouch.

"Is that the night you're talking about?"

Tony nodded sheepishly and it took every ounce of self-control Erika had not to start laughing.

"Thought so," said Pepper. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

Tony cleared his throat. "Yes, that will be all, Miss Potts."

"Denied," Erika sniggered as she moved to follow Tony out to the podium.

"Brat," Tony shot back, then he and Erika presented the sea of reporters with equally bright—and fake—smiles.

"Mr. Stark has prepared a statement, and he will not be taking any questions. Thank you." Rhodey stepped off to the right of the podium and Tony stepped up to it. Rhodey shot Erika a 'what are you doing out here?' look, but Erika only smiled and shook her head slightly.

"Been a while since I was in front of you. I figure I'll stick to the cards this time," said Tony, which made a few reporters laugh. He cleared his throat and continued.

"There's been speculation that I was involved in the events that occurred on the freeway and the rooftop..."

A hand shot up and Erika groaned slightly.

Christine Everhart with Vanity Fair

Fan-friggin-tastic.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, but do you honestly expect us to believe that that was a bodyguard in a suit that conveniently appeared, despite the fact that you—"

"I know that it's confusing," Tony said, cutting her off. "It is one thing to question the official story, and another thing entirely to make wild accusations, or insinuate that I'm a superhero."

Christine held up her hands. "I never said you were a superhero."

Erika almost gagged at the smugness in the blonde's tone.

Tony swallowed "No? Well, good, because that would be outlandish and fantastic."

'C'mon, Dad, Focus,' Erika though.

"I'm just not the hero type. Clearly. With this laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I've made, largely public."

Rhodey stepped up quickly and muttered, "Just stick to the cards, man."

Tony nodded. "Yeah, okay. Yeah." He took a deep breath. "The truth is . . . ." He trailed off and looked around the room. He glanced at Erika, who mouthed 'what the Hel are you doing?' He turned back to the reporters and said four words that made everyone's jaws drop.

"I am Iron Man."

* * *

**A/N: That's all folks! Keep an eye out for the sequel, which I have no idea when I'll be posting (some time soon, hopefully).**


	17. Epilogue--Respect the Classics, Man!

***One Month Later***

"That's a lot of people" Erika breathed as she peaked from behind the stage curtain.

"It's not like it's your first concert," another violin player, Victoria, said while tuning her instrument.

Erika swallowed. "Yeah, but they've never been quite this big."

Victoria shrugged. "They're mostly here for you, I would imagine."

Erika turned and gave her a questioning look. "Why d'you say that?"

Another girl, Chelsea, gave her a 'Duh' look. "Your dad just outed himself as Iron man—you guys are, like, the most famous people in the world right now." She held up her viola. "Isn't that kinda the point of our opening number?"

Erika swallowed again and nodded.

The conductor gave them a five minute warning.

Erika breathed in and out, trying to calm herself. Victoria was right—this wasn't her first concert, and it wouldn't be her last. If anything, her dad's recent stunt had given her an idea for the orchestra's opening music selection.

She owed everyone big time for going along with this.

Everyone was told to take their places, and as the curtains rose Erika was greeted with the sound of applause as she walked up to the microphone she'd asked for. "Thank you all so much for coming," she opened. "We're going to get started here in a minute, but first . . ." She hesitated. This hadn't been planned, but it felt like the right thing to say. "First, I'd like to say something." A quick breath, then "My Dad and I never really got along; he never got why I'd sooner play the violin than build an engine. There for a while, things were pretty bad. Recently, though, things have changed for the better. I don't even know if he's here tonight, but if he is, I want him to know that I love him, and I'm proud of him." She gave the audience a big smile, and then went back to her seat. She picked up her instrument and waited for the conductor's signal to begin.

As Erika drew out the opening notes, her eyes scanned the audience.

'He didn't come,' she concluded, not seeing Tony anywhere among the sea of faces.

Wait.

There! In the back, by the door. There stood Tony Stark, sunglasses and all. He smiled and gave her thumbs up.

The recognizable part of the song came up and Erika played the chorus of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" with a smile slowling spreading across her face. After a few more parts, the song switched to a section of Ozzy Osborne's "Crazy Train," followed by Black Sabbath's "Paranoid."

The orchestra's Tribute to Rock ("Respect the Classics, Man!" as Erika had dubbed it) ended and the concert's original program began. Throughout the entire thing, all Erika could thing about was how amazing it felt to see Tony in the audience for once.

She never stopped smiling.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I lied—_this_ is the last chapter. I was inspired by Rachel Barton Pine's performance of the mentioned songs, so if you're curious about how the Tribute to Rock sounds, go to youtube and search for 'Rachel Barton Pine plays Heavy Metal.'**


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